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My cousin coaches youth hockey and has gone to the M Hockey sale in the past because you can get essentials like tape, pucks, etc. for practically nothing. He remembers there being jerseys for sale, but couldn't remember how much they ran.

They do sell practice jerseys. I can't remember how much they went for, but it was pretty cheap (<$50 if I remember). Since each line has a different color, the more popular ones (like the light blue) are gone extremely quick. Last year, the red and green practice jerseys lasted for pretty much the whole event.

"When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing."

If you want anything good, you're going to have to get there extremely early. By the time the doors open, the line will be wrapped around the building (and often then some). You get entire hockey teams that show up in the wee hours to get their equipment for the year at dirt cheap prices. I've never gotten there later than about 6AM.

Do they usually sell any gloves? I remember going the year they switched from Nike to Adidas and they were selling brand new Bauer 4-Roll gloves for $40 (I believe??) but haven't gone since... I would love a set of new or "barely used" Reebok/CCM gloves in Michigan colors...

If you want to leave your house at midnight-1AM, sure. And it all matters what you're looking for. If you're looking for hockey equipment, it's absolutely worth it. If you're looking for Michigan gear, no one ever really knows what will be thrown out there.

Fast sellers are usually the practice jerseys, and they also sometimes have off-ice team gear that are the better value anyway. I bought a full track suit (Hunwick's jacket, Billy Powers' pants) a few years back. The ski jackets they order if there's a trip to Alaska on the schedule usually go pretty quickly. As for game-used stuff, sometimes there are game helmets, sometimes not. There never were before about 2008 or so. Lots of broken sticks, game-worn gloves, but no game jerseys (those are all auctioned off).

Personally, it would be a little too hit-or-miss for me to justify a 4-hour drive, especially if you're not going to get there early enough to be at least somewhat close to the door. It's a cool event, but more often than not, it's a zoo of hockey teams clawing at cheap gear, with a little bit of cool M gear thrown in for good measure.

They sell pants and shells for very cheap. I think I bought my pants for about $20.

They also have good deals on sticks. Brand new one-pieces are pretty cheap. The thing about the sale though is that you have to know what you want when you go in. If you need skates, go immediately to the skates. I bought a brand new pair of X:60's for $175 when they're normally triple that at least, and I also own a pair of Hagelin's Reebok's. If you have someone with you, I would recommend sending them to get the sticks, and you grab whatever it is that you need...however, a lot of people are absolute dicks and grab up dozens and dozens of sticks just to sell them on eBay. If more people would just take what they need, it wouldn't be too bad.

I'm not a hockey player, but the garage sale is great if you're willing to accept that the clothing they throw out might be utterly random. My college roommate got a killer Michigan Hockey parka there a couple of years ago, I'm currently wearing a great pair of adidas shorts with the Michigan Hockey logo on them. I also have two Michigan spring jackets, one of which was Mark Mitera's, which was cool as he was a former student of mine.

I usually show up around midnight, so about 8 hours before the doors open. You could theoretically show up when the gates open though, because people don't go straight for the jerseys. They usually go for the equipment, and jerseys are taken sporatically throughout the sale. To be safe, I would recommend coming at 5:30 or 6 to get a decent spot in line and improve your chances of getting things you want. Last year there were a couple of jerseys left on the rack well into the sale.

Last year was my first time going. I got there at about 7:40 am, and as I remember it, they opened the doors earlier than the listed 8:30 am. My spot in line was about midway down the length of the building. The strategy of the veterans was to grab as much as possible, place it all in a pile along the boards while 1 person in their group watched the pile, then after the 10 minute frenzy was up, they put back what they didn't want. The first people in line seemed to get the best stuff (helmets, and gloves). It was still easy for me to get cheap shoes, shirts, shorts, huge travel bags, various practice jerseys, goalie sticks, and a new practice helmet. Hope this helps you plan for this year.